The Ballad of Strife
by AdrianCreeveyTheUndertaker
Summary: The wheel turns, the cycle repeats, what once was is now again. As time goes on, there are ages that crumble to dust, and ages new and full of promises. This is the story of one such age, long ago, when Elves and Humans waged war to determine who is indeed the alpha species. COMPLETE AU OF OUR CREATION. All characters are our own, for now.


**Ah, hello, Stranger, well met… My name? Oh, that isn't important, but I suppose you can call me the Teller… Hmm… Not a very good name, I suppose, but it will have to do… Now, if you're here, you need something, yes? Perhaps you'd like to hear a story? One of the few true ones, perhaps? Oh, I have the perfect one… If you will hear it, this is the tale of two people, destined to be in love, destined to save the world, destined to die…**

**It was a time of peace, if you could call it that, but it was a tense, nervous peace…**

The Elves and Humans had once been great allies, friends, even lovers in some cases, but there came a day when the Elves suddenly turned against the Humans, quickly enslaving them with the element of surprise… The Humans, surprised and angered, couldn't react quick enough to mount a good defense, and were soon overtaken… Those that weren't killed or tortured to death were made into slaves, while the remaining free Humans fled to all corners of the world, scattering like dust in the wind.

**That was many years ago…**

Now, the Humans have grown weary from being made slaves, the few old and strong enough to remember the times before were angry, rightfully so, but others were resigned, not knowing any life but this. Some were even happy; their Masters were kind to them, though the word is used loosely. Many were tortured or beaten for sport, others made to work with impossible burdens on a daily basis.

**But this isn't about them.**

This is about a Man; a Man named Yuji, but often referred to as "Boy" or "Slave". He was a slave, and was anything but a boy, but hadn't been born that way. He was the youngest son of two well known mages, who no Elf dared enslave or attack at the time, who were renowned and respected, even the Emperor himself came to them for advice… But, one day, the Elves turned against even them, not caring how many of their own died, storming their house and slaughtering all but the children… Yuji had been seven at the time, and already almost as tall as an adult.

Now he is worked five times harder then any other slave or hired help, forced to do the impossible or be beaten close to death… Actually, he was beaten no matter what he did because his Master and his Masters son, Nazeem, were afraid of him and beat him constantly to show their dominance to him. He never fought back, he never complained, he most definitely had it worse then all the others, but even then he asked to be beaten in their stead, he shared the meager amount of food he earned, and was the most selfless, caring person that has been seen in years.

Though that is not to say he was content, oh no, he raged silently when he was alone, but not for himself, for the injustice against his people. He raged and raged, though he always had a kind smile, even for an Elf. The Elves, not understanding why he was always smiling, hated him more, beating him more and more frequently… He should have been bedridden for months from his beatings, yet he was still forced to work hard. He was much too valuable to be killed, though none of them would admit his use or that they need to keep him alive.

Though not all Elves were particularly cruel to Humans, some were indifferent, as was one Elf in particular, a beautiful, young, blue haired woman named Namir, who had silvery eyes, that held people in their place. She was labeled unruly due to the fact that she always questioned things. She questioned her role, her father, her life, she had a question for everything, though she was forced to quickly learn to not ask many, or she would be beaten… Not nearly as bad as poor Yuji, but she would have bruises lasting for weeks if she misbehaved.

Namir was not cruel; she did not care what happened to the Human slaves, though she sometimes gave them scraps of food if she had some on her. She was still a nobles daughter, so in a sense, thought herself somewhat better then the slaves. Though she still was indifferent, and didn't notice the stares she got from poor Yuji. He watched her carefully; surprised that she would even spend time with the slaves, and quickly became infatuated by her beauty, even though she never really even noticed him.

Life continued on as such, though it all wasn't as simple as that, Yuji and Namir both had secrets, though they almost shared a secret, but neither new it…

**… Until one day…**

Namir had just been sent to her room, and undressed, making sure to lock her door and send the maids and butlers off to bed. She then put on a thin, training skirt and cloak, leaving through the window with a long bow she hid under her bed. She snuck out at night, going to practice with her arrows and what little magic she new. Magic was frowned upon, and archery was considered 'unlady-like' so she had to do so in secret. She had been doing this for a long time now, though she wouldn't admit it, and why would she?

She made it into the forest, walking silently from tree to tree, unseen, unheard, she had natural talent at not being spotted when she didn't want to be, her mottled brown and green cloak also helped that, making her blend with the trees and shadows, her bright blue hair was kept under a cloak so as to not be recognized and help her hide more.

Namir was a natural shot with a bow, as most elves seemed to be, but didn't actually shoot at any animals, she did not like unnecessary bloodshed. Besides being good with a bow, she also had a good ability with magic, namely the element of water, and practiced it now and then, though had no real control over it, not having a teacher. She could heal minor wounds, or make some water rise from the earth, but not much beyond that.

Yuji, recovering from another beating, was left alone in his little shack he called home… He waited until he was sure he wouldn't be disturbed for the rest of the night, and went to a little false panel in the ground he had made, being particularly clever with his hands, and removed it. He then slowly pulled out a huge, wide, thick blade much like a giant butcher's cleaver; it was almost as long as he was tall, and just as wide. He had been given it by a drunken, but free, human blacksmith who made it more as a joke, though even he was surprised when Yuji could wield it. It was easily three hundred pounds, though it didn't slow him seemingly at all. He slowly and carefully made his way into the forest through a hedge in the wall. He could have escaped at any time he wanted to, but he stayed because he had been planning for years. He knew he needed to help the others escape, he wanted them to be free, but they couldn't just leave one night, too many of them were under careful watch.

He made his way into the forest, cracking branches and such. It was a miracle he hadn't been caught yet, though he did try to be sneaky, sneaking wasn't easy with a three hundred pound blade and a big, bulky body. He quickly made it to a clearing that was hidden from the mansion, one he had been using for awhile to practice. He didn't really want to kill the Elves, so he mostly trained on how to scare them or hurt them just enough to make them run. He did so by pulling dead trees out of the ground and setting them in lines, or scatter them across the field, he would then break off some branches or such, make them look like people, and would use his blade to scratch them or remove 'armor' with intimidating swings of his powerful blade.

**But he had another secret too…**

He was the son of the two great mages, so he had powerful magic of his own, though if anyone had known that he would be put to death for 'Threatening to disrupt the peace of the Empire' or some other trivial matter. So for that, and other, obvious reasons he never revealed himself.

He would, after sufficient training, usually put down his weapon and wipe away the sweat, sitting down and meditating, controlling the fire inside of him. He would make balls of flame appear, perfect spheres of heat and light, and make them dance in a slow circle around him. He had gotten so skilled that he could have up to five orbs of different color appear before him with no effort; he could cause an explosion to shatter a wall, and could also make a little candle light from a room or so away. He even could make his blade catch fire, making him look more fearsome and intimidating. Though he still refused to try hurting anyone, even if he could single handedly kill an entire squadron of Elvish warriors.

He had practiced for years, becoming a masterful warrior and expert mage, though on this day a change would occur, one he had not foreseen…

Namir, having heard the lumbering gait of some giant creature, quickly climbed a tree, hiding, half drawing her bow, and was surprised to see a tall Human with… something… strapped to his back, making him look almost animal like. He was obviously trying to be stealthy and quiet, and obviously failing horrendously. Namir, conflicted, sighed quietly as curiosity won out, and decided to follow him, and then make him talk after she found out what he was doing.

Namir followed Yuji quietly and easily, not being noticed, and frowned curiously as she saw all the dead and broken trees in the clearing. Some were burned, some were cut or broken, but it was still hard to see why or how, the moon was still hiding behind some clouds. But the man didn't seem worried, setting the big thing down with a metallic clink, and walking into the clearing, setting some of the trees up.

Namir watched, wide eyed, as the trees were picked up by that one man, he single handedly moved the trees without so much as a grunt of effort.

Yuji smiled as he admired his handiwork, looking up at the sky, seeing the moon was about to come out, so he could then begin his training. He walked over and removed the blade from the earth, wiping the dirt and grass off of it, waiting patiently for the light, not suspecting he had a shadow.

Namir, thinking he was finished, drew her bow again and was about to call out, but gasped as the moon came out, showing the man… It was… One of the slaves, right? But… That was a sword… The thing was bigger then herself! How did… how could…. Who was this man? How was he so powerful? All these things went through her mind as he shifted the blade onto his shoulder naturally, as if he had done it a thousand times before. The moon showing his deep, tanned, scarred skin, his deep, liquid chocolate eyes took in the field, passing over her, not seeing her, his brown hair shifted some in a gentle breeze. It was kept short; just covering his ears, but was still surprisingly well kept.

Yuji licked his lips, smiling, feeling comfort from the weight of his blade, feeling content with the open sky and night air, enjoying being alone… He inhaled deeply and slowly, and then lunged forward, swinging quickly and powerfully, but he misjudged the distance, stepping too close, his blade cutting straight through the old, dead tree. The top half fell back with a loud snap, hitting the ground with a thud.

Namir let out a squeak, terrified of his power, frightened that he could… No, it had to be a lie, it had- Oh no… He had heard her yelp, and quickly turned, searching for the source of the sound, the blade held in his hands, prepared to lunge again "… Hello? Who's there? Reveal yourself!"

She drew her bow, swallowing and composing herself, but staying hidden "Why should I? You don't scare me, I'll put an arrow through you unless you drop your weapon" He blinked, his grip tightening "I… I know that voice… Your one of the Elves holding my people hostage… Lady Namir? Is that you?" He was still scanning the area, expecting her to attack and needing to be ready. She thought he was going to attack, and didn't want to face him, so she stayed quiet and hidden, shocked that he knew her.

After a minute of this, Yuji slowly lowered his blade, still watching for her "… Lady Namir, I know it's you…Your kind to my people; I don't want to hurt you… Come out" Namir blinked, aiming her arrow at him, still hiding "… What proof do you have that you won't hurt me? You Humans are all alike; you want to kill any and every Elf you see… I won't be fooled!" Yuji sighed, still holding his blade, but not at her "Think what you want about me, but know that I do not break my promises, please, come out. Or better yet, turn, run, go home and forget about what you saw, don't say a word of me to anyone"

Namir hesitated "I won't run, you don't scare me, Human!" She had been slowly circling the clearing, keeping him guessing where her voice was coming from… Her strategy worked, for the most part, until she stepped on a twig and froze, scowling at herself. He turned to the sound, raising his blade again "I don't want it to be like this, Lady Namir, please come out, I only want to talk. But if you won't trust me, you will have to die… Please, Lady, don't let it come to that" Namir, knowing in her heart he was telling the truth, but knowing in her mind he was lying, hesitated a moment before shaking her head and coming out, aiming at him.

"You lie, Human, your going to try to kill me no matter what I do. I know your kind" She kept the arrow pointed at his chest. He blinked as she came out, and shifted, holding his blade tighter "Lady Namir, please think this through… Don't be stupid, you can't win… Just go back, this is your last chance, please don't make me fight you" He genuinely didn't want to hurt her, and she could see that, but at the same time he would have to if she didn't turn and run, though her pride wouldn't permit her to do so. She swallowed and loosed the arrow at him. His training kicked in and he turned the blade at an angle, making the arrow deflect off it, not scratching the blade "Lady… Know I didn't want to do this" He then lunged, raising the blade and making an arc, swinging down towards her. Had it hit, she would be cut in twain, but she jumped back at the last moment, narrowly missing the guillotine like blade that slammed into the earth.

She paled and peddled back, loosing arrow after arrow, terrified of his strength. Was this what battle was like? Was this what it was like to brush death? She shuddered, knowing she'd have to keep him at a distance or he'd rip her apart in seconds. He lunged again, trying to deflect her arrows while closing the distance, though she was much nimbler then he. Her training allowed her to nock and fire an arrow quickly, keeping the barrage of arrows. She began running circles, literal circles, around him, firing more, knowing she'd run out if she wasn't careful. He ended up deflecting arrows from all angles, forced onto the defensive with a surprised frown.

The adrenaline, while enjoyable for her, awoke something in her, something she didn't know existed. She had more power then just archery and Water Magic; she had a rare and powerful aura known as Time Magic. It awoke as she was running around him, and she realized that he was moving slowly, barely deflecting the arrows, while to him, it looked like she was blurring, running a rapid circle so fast as to where he almost couldn't see her. He swallowed, suddenly worried, how could anyone be so fast? He could barely keep up. The arrows were getting closer, some even nicking his skin. She shot two arrows, her final two, and they hit their marks. The first hit Yuji's wrist, making him flinch back in order to hold his blade, the other imbedded itself deep into his leg. As she slowed down, watching him, her magic wore off, leaving her panting slightly, mentally exhausted with no idea why.

With a cry of pain, he sank down to his knee, his sword barely held up. Panting, he bowed his head "Well… Well done, you… beat me… Make it quick, Lady…" He thought that she would kill him for this, and she had the right to, she had bested him. She slowly walked up to him, having picked an arrow from the ground, and had it drawn, stopping just out of arms reach "… Stand up, Human" He slowly did, wincing as the arrow pained his leg. He looked her straight in the eye, having left his blade on the ground, showing he wasn't afraid to die. "… I won't kill you… But I want you to tell me why you're out here like this…" She slowly released the string, still keeping it ready in case he lunged. He gave her a pained look "Lady… I can't, that would put other people at risk. I can't give them away, please don't ask that of me." He shifted, wincing as blood poured down his leg. She frowned "Why not? I don't see why you can't tell me; your kind always betrays one another, don't you?" She was raised being told that Humans were barely above animals, that they'd rape, pillage, betray, do anything they wanted if not kept in check by higher races such as the Elves


End file.
